The racism and quality of Daniel Goldhagen

"Goldhagen complains that I impugn his character. What he means is that I report on what he writes. In his book, Goldhagen uses terms of analysis redolent of the Nazi era, applying categories of subhumanity and disease to our fellow human beings. In a particularly objectionable bit of pseudoscientific jargon, he claims to be able to discern “variation in beastliness across cultures and subcultures” (pp. 440–441). Having chosen to use such terms, Goldhagen had two legitimate options: defend his own choice to discuss groups of people in terms of subhumanity and “pathology” (p. 358), or grant that the revival of such notions is dreadful scholarship and worse ethics. Instead, he imagines that the review essay is about Daniel Jonah Goldhagen rather than about books and history. Treating the review as a personal attack just trivializes the issue. More important matters are at stake." (thanks "Ibn Rushd")